Italy's longest river runs dry

Seawater is seeping into Italy's longest river as the waterway starts to run dry in the heatwave, hitting a farming heartland that produces the milk for Parmesan cheese. The Po River has never fallen this low so early in the year, raising fears of a devastating drought in July in this corner of northern Italy. One of the two canals that irrigate it has been shut because the seawater would enter and damage the crops. The Po River's flow has collapsed in a matter of days, dropping below 300 cubic metres per second, compared with an average of around 1,500 in June, according to Aipo, the interregional river agency. — AFP